what's your design talisman?

mine is presently a big old book

she’s all i’ve got, boss

Thursday, hello. I hate my horrible filthy cell phone. I should not be able to spend one thousand dollars in under 60 seconds. I should not be able to Google “woman’s sexual prime when?” while lying in the dark at midnight.

I am, as promised, redesigning our guest room into a dignified visitors’ suite x office of my dreams. The process of designing an entire room from scratch is long and messy (see below), but it shouldn’t be paralyzing. You shouldn’t be overwhelmed by possibility because, ideally, you have vision. Vision keeps you on track.

I find that the best way to establish that vision is by identifying one item—ONE SINGLE ITEM!!!!!!!—to serve as your guiding light throughout the design process. At the risk of going absolute Morgan la Fey Mode, let’s call this item your talisman.

identifying your talisman

When I envision a room, I don’t like to start with color, texture, style, or theme. Instead, I like to start with a single object. The object must:

1. Look cool as hell: It must Inspire me visually.

2. Ooze essence: It must speak to the spirit of what I’m hoping to achieve in the room.

I went looking for my guest room/office talisman in my favorite sort of place for talisman hunting: a used and rare bookstore. Old books are visually stunning, but they also carry a sense of curiosity that I find really energizing during a design process. An ancient tome about turn-of-the-century farming equipment? A full-color history of LaGuardia Airport? They make me laugh and evoke nostalgia, impermanence.

Here’s what I found:

A truly giant book by Jamaican-born linguist and lexicographer Frederic Cassidy! The colors were perfect—playful, folksy, classic but unstuffy—and the content evoked exactly how I want the finished room to feel: curious, nostalgic, slightly offbeat, with touches of Americana and travel keepsakes.

Plus, it’s packed with sick vocab:

so’s your uncle

wielding your talisman

Choosing paint colors, linens, and decorative accents for the guest room came easily after I connected with ol’ Frederic. Each time I considered a design choice, I held it up against the book. That doesn’t mean that I shoehorned my color choices to align with those on the cover; I just had to be sure they complemented the spirit of the book. (The room’s not done yet, but I’ll share what I mean in a few weeks after I’m done poisoning myself with lead paint encapsulating solution.)

Once you get to know your talisman, it becomes clear which design choices simply won’t work. Frederic’s book wouldn’t work with a light-wood Scandinavian aesthetic, or a steely modern look. It demands patina and craftsmanship.

seeking your talisman

Like I mentioned, I think used and rare bookstores are the best sorts of places to find a design touchstone. Other talisman-hunting grounds might include:

• family heirlooms, if you’ve got those

• flea markets and antique shops

• physical library archives

• the zoo! Can a bird be your talisman? An animal?

• your local architecture. Go outside!

• old textiles. Are you inspired by a quilt? A napkin?

It doesn’t have to be decorative. It doesn’t even have to live permanently in your space. A neighbor’s cat can be a talisman, driving you toward a design theory of softness, comfort, laziness, ease. A billboard can be a talisman. An album cover. It’s all about finding a beacon and pushing toward it ‘til you’re done.

anyway, here’s YEAH, BABY, YEAH, our regularly-scheduled roundup of little treats:

Here’s what I love this week:

The Serious NyQuil: I’m sick.

My fuzzy hot water bottle: My in-laws gifted me this Vermont Country Store hot water bottle for Christmas. I haven’t found a way to communicate this to them, but it made me feel so seen. It’s the most Lil gift I’ve received in a long time. I’ve used it every night this week, tucking it between the sheets to warm the bed before I descend into my hellish NyQuil dreams.

Preparing an ice-cold drink of water for future me: On the other end of the water-bottle spectrum, I’ve started filling my mega 40-ounce Owala before bed and leaving it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it’s as if a buxom fairy has left me a hydrating treat. (I am my own buxom fairy.)

what’s your talisman? tell me in the comments… if you dare

Lil